macOS Tahoe 26.4 automatically downloads all files in an iCloud folder when opened

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macOS Tahoe 26.4 automatically downloads all files in an iCloud folder when opened

Hi everyone

I recently installed macOS Tahoe 26.4, and since then I’ve been having a very frustrating issue with iCloud Drive / Finder. Every time I open a folder in Finder, my Mac automatically starts downloading many or all of the files inside that folder from iCloud, even though I did not open any of the files.

This never used to happen for me on previous macOS versions. Before, files would usually only download when I actually opened them or when another app needed access to them. Now, simply opening a folder can trigger huge downloads for no reason. For example, if I open a folder containing videos, Finder may immediately start downloading tens of gigabytes (sometimes around 50 GB) of data that I do not need at that moment.

This is causing several problems, including unnecessary use of bandwidth and storage, major slowdowns, constant background downloading, and the need to keep manually stopping the downloads. Since the update, this has made normal use of my Mac really difficult.

Is anyone else experiencing this on macOS Tahoe 26.4? And is there any fix or workaround?

I really hope Apple addresses it in an update, because at the moment it’s honestly unbearable.

Thanks!

MacBook Air

Posted on Mar 31, 2026 11:47 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 1, 2026 8:36 AM in response to appleopfer

It sounds awful! But I'm not sure exactly what's going on. You're using Optimize Storage, is that right? Where are these folders that seem to behave oddly?

I have a whole bunch of things in my "rtaylor" folder:

You should have some of these, as well. You have Downloads, for instance, and that seems to be OK, for you. In fact, I would expect opening folders in any of these locations would be just fine, because none of these are in iCloud Drive.

Desktop, though, which is in iCloud Drive for both of us, doesn't show up here. Nor does Documents, which is also in iCloud Drive. And any folder in Desktop or Documents is also in iCloud Drive. So anything you see on your Mac's Desktop is in iCloud Drive, including folders you see on your Mac's Desktop.

So, where are these crazy folders located, and exactly what do you mean by "automatically starts downloading many or all of the files inside that folder from iCloud?" What indicates that they are downloading? Is there a filling circle, or something like that? Have you told iCloud to "Remove Download?"

It may help to see this:

Understanding iCloud Drive - Apple Community

Let us know what you find…

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Answer 2

Apr 3, 2026 8:17 AM in response to appleopfer

To add Richard's questions: do you by chance use other cloud services like Dropbox, Google Photos etc which might produce loops with iCloud services.

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